let’s clear up one thing first: i don’t believe in luck. like, at all. sure, some people maybe have more opportunities come their way than others. and heaven knows some people face more than their fair share of hardships. but i’ve seen opportunities be passed up by someone who wasn’t willing to work hard enough. and i’ve seen people who have faced insurmountable odds, only to overcome them and achieve greatness. the formula for your success in life, whether it be in business or in the gym, isn’t defined by your circumstances - but by your response to them.

want to be “lucky" in life? here are 7 ways:

show up.the only difference between me and the other guy who had the same idea? i did it. honestly, his idea may have better. (ok, probably not.) but the best ideas aren’t the ones that always win. execution trumps conceptualization every single time. same thing when it comes to your fitness: you can have the perfect workout plan and nutrition completely dialed-in, but you have to do the work. you have to go to the gym. you have to prep your food. regardless of good intentions, you have to show up.

say yes - even when it scares you.i may take this one to the extreme, but my theory is “over promise, over deliver.” we’ve been working with our retail partners on new products for holiday 2016 and the timelines are insane. “oh, hey – yeah we like that...can we have samples by monday?” (on an idea i totally just made up like 2 days ago). “yes, we like these 5 products. can you submit pricing, dimensions, and casepack configurations by end of day today?” (absolutely – let me just measure this product that doesn’t exist yet and we’ll get that right over to you.) point is: say yes, figure it out later. quickly. side note: this one does tend to cause momentary bouts of insanity and/or complete chaos; however i’ve put this into practice for years and survived. so far.

ask for forgiveness, not permission.ask my team and they’ll confirm that this is we roll at fitlosophy. and yes, it’s come around to bite me (only a few times). but this is how things get done. who has time to wait for permission to make things happen? go out and do it. you might step on some toes. you might not get the support you’d hoped. (you may host a fundraiser for a non-profit at a city park without asking first and get the boot!) do your due diligence and make good choices, but don’t wait for permission to be remarkable.

say no - even when you want to say yes.wanna go to happy hour after work instead of the gym? yes. wanna go skiing this weekend instead of work? yes. wanna go have coffee and talk about a new business idea? yes. all of those, yes. and trust me, i'm not promoting an all-work-no-play lifestyle here, but your results are a direct reflection of your consistent choices. whether it’s your bod or your biz, if you’re not achieving your desired goals, you may need to dial it in for a bit. prioritize that which is most important to you. choose to do the thing today that others won’t, so tomorrow you can do the things that others can’t. it’s as simple and as hard as that.

upgrade your circle.surround yourself with those who lift you up. here’s a good litmus test: draw a line down the center of a piece of paper and on the left write something really tough that you went through (lost a loved one, went through a divorce, lost a job) – then list out all the people who were really THERE for you during that trying time. then on the right jot down something wonderful that happened to you (lost those last 20lbs, landed a big client, earned a degree) – then list out all the people who REALLY celebrated that moment with you. like, were really really overly happy for your success. now, look at that list and circle those people who are on both sides of that line. those are the ones you want by your side. life isn’t just what happens to you – but being intentional in what you do, and who you do it with.

work (really) hard – on what matters (to you).i'm writing this at 2:20am. not because i want to, but because i can’t NOT. because if i don’t, the words will be swirling around in my head and this would be yet another “great idea” that never happened. i guarantee you some of my most brilliant ideas + epiphanies were those that were realized at an inconvenient time, that i never got around to, and are forever lost in the ideosphere, never to be recovered. but were they really my greatest ideas? i've also found that you’ll make time for what matters most. when i started fitlosophy way back in the day, i had a marketing business at the time and only worked on this little idea called fitbook i had until the wee hours of the morning. what can you not stop thinking about?what ideas lurk that excite you? what do you do and you completely lose track of time? do more of that.

trust the process

i don’t believe in luck. i believe that our lives are perfectly planned and supremely scripted. does that mean life goes according to our plan? absolutely not. but if you trust the process, then you can see how all things work together for good. there are deals that i lost that broke my heart: why didn’t they want my products? the meeting went well, they said they’d submit the purchase order, and then nothing! of course i was cranky. fast forward 3 years and that same retailer filed bankruptcy. had we been a vendor, we could’ve lost tons of money and never been paid on product shipped. (whew). but it’s not just business. it's trusting and knowing that all things happen precisely at the moment they’re supposed to. (this one is not always easy for me – trust me.) if you made it to #7 in one of my marathon blog posts then you deserve an insight into why this one is so tough – yet critical to embrace. i have always wanted a family of my own – a little curly-haired wee one running about. but God has made it clear: “not yet.” and here’s what’s incredible: His timing is perfect, even if i'm not a fan. tell me this: how could i gallivant across the country to and fro and work 80-hour weeks and be present for a family? something would have to give. and it would most likely be my business. but we’ve been blessed(not lucky!)to have the largest deals in the history of the business plop in our lap right now. we had the largest year-over-year growth last year. fitlosophy is on fi-yah! so should i sit around moping that i don’t have a baby to stay up with ‘til 3am with because she’s hangry? no. i believe that i'm precisely where i am supposed to be, am grateful that i'm NOT in control - and trust that with my whole heart.

fitlosophy is on it’s 8th year. and my almost tween-ager has been nothing short of amazing. and not an ounce of that is due to luck.

the only thing that’s lucky is you: ‘cause i'm gonna giveaway 1 of our goal getter fitspiration journals to the person who shares their insights below: which of these 7 keys to living a lucky life resonates most with you? 1 of my lucky blog readers will get one! sold out since they hit the shelves of walgreens in january, these are back in stock @ 7pm PST today: 03.17.16.

you lucky you, goal getter, you.

angela

8 Responses

fitbook.nicole

March 22, 2016

thank you ALL so much for commenting on Angela’s blog post, and for sharing which of her tips resonated with you most. I am happy to announce that the winner of our goal getter fitspiration journal is Cassie. :-)

Dana Hillman

March 22, 2016

The one key that resonates the most with me is “Trust the Process!” I know this is where I struggle the most. I want it all and I want it now. All things happen for a reason and what we put out in the universe comes back to us 10 fold if we keep a positive mindset and positive actions. I know that great things are coming my way….if I just trust the process!

Kathy

March 22, 2016

Many of these resonate with me. I have always been the wife, the friend, the mom etc. Its now time for me and I am looking forward to being the best me I can. Thank you for such a great post!

Mac

March 21, 2016

From the get go you hit us with Show up! LOVED it. The effort is so often in the procrastination and the guilt of not being there… cause once you’re in the action, you strive. Thank you

Sissy

March 21, 2016

Several of the 7 resonate with me, starting with “show up”. While this seems so simple, it truly is key! Also, “say no-even when you want to say yes”- I have a wonderful upgraded circle, but I tend to get lost in all of the wonderful “yes” options with them and forget about looking after “me”….this is a work in progress and this article is a terrific reminder, thanks!

Jenn

March 20, 2016

Sometimes I have to remind myself that what I “want” in the moment (potato chips, mostly!) isn’t in line with what I want in the future (to win my bodybuilding show). It helps to think and plan ahead and envision the future looking the way you want! And then, yes, it does feel “lucky”.

Cassie

March 19, 2016

I thought this was great and inspirational in sorts. But also a kick in the butt. The thing that resonates the most to me is say no even when you want to say yes. I joined a weight loss competition so I could get a kick start on being more healthy (which the fitbook was so helpful with). I had to say no to all the sweets that went by me even though it would have been so easy to say yes (something I need to remember now that it’s done). You can’t say yes to everything without jeopardizing something in return. So that is something that I can really relate to (I also say yes a lot and never have me time because I’m doing things for others so much, which also isn’t great). Also trusting the process. I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason (even if I wished they didnt). I look back on many things and realize that there was a reason something didn’t work, or a reason I didn’t get a job that I was hoping for. I’m currently in a job I really enjoy and working with some great people. Who knows I may have been miserable in the other position. So yes. I’m sure lots of people can relate to any of these! They are all so great.

Jessie

March 17, 2016

is my mantra right now. I got comfortable in my wonderful marriage and let taking care of my body slip to wayside. Now that I have a couple of health problems, I have found my motivation to show up for myself. I still have days where sleeping in and binging on late night snacks is all I want to do. However, I like how I feel more when I exercise or eat right all day. I happened onto Fitbook in Walgreens and found the push I needed to kick things into gear.